There's a new big cat in town now and the reviews have started coming out. So, here's a roundup of the best reviews of Mac OS X Lion. Which includes reviews from Walt Mossberg of AllThingD, David Pogue of The New York Times, Jason Snell of Macworld and more. You most definitely need to check out the review from John Siracusa over at Ars Technica. It's probably one of the most detailed reviews out there, not to mention the longest. Okay, so here's the roundup!

AllThingsD – "The past two major computer operating system releases, Windows 7 and Snow Leopard, were incremental. Lion is very different. It's a big leap, and gives the Mac a much more modern look and feel for a world of tablets and smartphones. If you are willing to adjust, it's the best computer operating system out there," writes Walt Mossberg.

The New York Times – "The Lion upgrade, in other words, is classic Apple: innovative to some, gimmicky to others, big leaps forward, a few stumbles back. It may never be the king of the jungle. But once the world's software companies have fully Lionized their wares, and once Apple exterminates the bugs, Mac OS X 10.7 might be something even more exotic: a fast, powerful, good-looking, virus-free, thoroughly modern operating system," writes David Pogue.

Ars Technica – "Though the Lion name suggests the end of something, the content of the operating system itself clearly marks the start of a new journey. Seemingly emboldened by the success of iOS, Apple has taken a hatchet to decades of conventional wisdom about desktop operating systems," writes John Siracusa.

Macworld – "In the past, Apple has charged $129 for upgrades with far fewer improvements than this - and that price upgraded just a single system. At $30 for all the Macs in your world, the only reason not to upgrade to Lion is because you rely on old PowerPC-based apps that won't run on it. Otherwise, it's a more than fair price for a great upgrade," writes Jason Snell.

Engadget – "If Lion can truly be considered the most advanced operating system around (a matter that is certainly open for debate), it is not due to the jaw-dropping new features in this version, so much as the raft of tweaks -- some subtle, and all welcome -- it has made to an already-excellent operating system. Some of the features like AirDrop and Versions may be enough to wow users by themsleves, but this upgrade is unlikely to upend most Mac users' workflow. Chances are, though, you'll find more than enough features amongst the 250-plus to justify that modest price tag," writes Brian Heater.

Gizmodo – "I love Mac OS X. I've used it since the very first and painful developer preview, back in September 2000. I love iOS too, because its modal nature simplifies powerful computing, and, at the same time, empowers normal people. I hoped Mac OS X Lion was going to merge both perfectly. Sadly, from a user interface point of view, it has failed to achieve that. And by failing at this task, it has made a mess of what was previously totally acceptable," writes Jesus Diaz.

Time – "For now, Lion feels, to revive an old OS X tagline, like a new Mac for your Mac. At $129, it would have been a meaty good value. At $29.99, it's a steal — the no-brainer upgrade that defines the notion of a no-brainer upgrade," writes Harry McCracken.

PC Magazine – "For existing Mac users with hardware that can handle Lion, I'd strongly recommend upgrading, though, if you like to err on the side of caution, you may want to wait for the point-one update that typically arrives a month or two after the first release. Lion is the best operating system ever made, and unless you have a strong reason for using anything else, you owe it to yourself to start enjoying its ease and power," writes Edward Mendelson.

CNET - "Mac OS X Lion is definitely a worthy upgrade for all Intel Mac users. Featuring several interface enhancements and useful new features across all the core apps, Mac OS X Lion is an excellent update for the price," writes Jason Parker.

USA Today - "Snags are to be expected during an operating system transition. But when all is said and done, I recommend that most of the Mac faithful feed their computer to the Lions," writes Edward Baig.

LaptopMag - "Yes, we'd like to see a lot more full-screen apps (which will come with time) and deeper social-networking integration in everything from contacts and calendar to the browser. It also remains to be seen how well Lion will work with iCloud. Overall, though, Lion is a bridge to the future we'd happily use as our everyday OS," writes Mark Spoonauer.

GigaOM - "Lion isn't without its faults. I'm still not crazy about the Finder redesign for example, and I think Apple missed the opportunity to make some changes to that component of OS X that would've really resonated with longtime users. Some also seem to think that the some of the redesigned core apps are actually steps backward. But those apps actually aren't all that important to the core experience, and overall, there's no question in my mind that Lion represents a significant improvement to the Mac platform," writes Darrell Etherington.

Wired - "For the most part, Mac OS X is the same, solid operating system Apple customers have grown familiar with for the past 10 years. Some of the key iPad-like interface tweaks are ugly or nearly useless, but if you just disable and ignore them like I did, full-screen mode, AirDrop, Resume and AutoSave make this very affordable $30 upgrade worth your purchase," writes Brian Chen.

What's up with Gizmodo these days? It seems like there has been a negative shift towards Apple since the iPhone 4 theft saga. I'm not saying that all reviews about Apple products need to be positive, but something seems kinda funny. The review does make some good points though. And I agree that some parts of Lion's UI feel inconstant. Especially when it comes to making OS X feel more like iOS. I also think that Mission Control is a jumbled mess._________________1.42GHz Mac mini
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